"Explore
the origins of the church in Greece and Turkey. All three of Paul’s
missionary journeys were centered in ancient Turkey and two of them
ended in Greece. Moreover, the apostle John’s ministry was located
in Ephesus where he wrote his gospel, three letters and the book of
Revelation. Travel by deluxe motorcoach to the ancient cities of
Athens, Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, Ephesus, Priene,
Hierapolis and Assos. At these sites we will discuss the birth,
growth, trials and development of the earliest Christian
congregations as they struggled not only to understand their new
faith in Christ, but also as they dealt with false teachers and
hostile forces opposed to the church. At the end of the first
century, John wrote letters to the seven churches of Revelation
which were coping with similar problems of false teaching and
persecution. Thus, we will also visit the seven churches of Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. We will include a tour of time–honored
Istanbul, where you can enjoy its rich culture, historical sites and
impressive archaeological museum."

Oct 7 Sun ARRIVE ATHENSUpon arrival at the Athens Airport, our representatives
will meet you after the customs and baggage claim with a
sign “BAS – TUTKU TOURS” on it. Transfer to your
hotel in Athens for diner and overnight. (D)

Oct 8 Mon ATHENSFollow your guide to the world renowned Acropolis, the
Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. View Mars Hill
where the apostle Paul stood spoke to the Athenian people
and shared the Gospel (Acts 17:15-34). See the Agora, the
ancient market place and center of the Athenian public life,
where the apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection”
(Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also see the House
of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier. Overnight in Athens. (B,D)

Oct 9 Tue CORINTH, CENCHRAEAE and ELEUSIS – ATHENSIn Corinth, see the ancient city where Paul met Aquila
and Priscilla, the tent makers, and where the apostle spent
eighteen months sharing the Gospel (Acts 18: 1-18). Visit
the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place and Temples.
Walk among the ruins and stand on the Bema where Paul stood
before Gallio facing charges brought by the Jews. Visit the
ancient port of Cenchrea where Paul departed when he
returned to Syria (Acts 18:12-18). Later we will visit the
site of Eleusis where the sacred rites of the Eleusinian
Mysteries were performed. Overnight in Athens. (B,D)

Oct 10 Wed DELPHI – METEORA – KALAMBAKATravel to the scenic and historic oracle at Delphi, the
religious center of the ancient Greek world. Walk the Sacra
Via to the Athenian Treasury, the Theatre, and the Temple of
Apollo where the oracle enacted its prophetic rituals. Visit
the Museum at Delphi. Drive to Kalambaka to visit the rock
forest of Meteora in western Thessaly and ponder the rough
terrain through which the apostle Paul walked during his
missionary journey. See the famous Byzantine monasteries
perched precariously on the summits of soaring sheer cliffs.
Visit one of these monasteries. Dinner and overnight in
Kalambaka. (B,D)

Oct 11 Thu THESSALONIKIWe continue our journey to Thessaloniki, the city where
Paul shared the gospel message and experienced much
opposition (Acts 17: 1-9). Here Paul established a church to
which he addressed his Thessalonian epistles. Visit St.
George’s Basilica, which tradition claims is built over the
synagogue where Paul preached. View the Old City Ramparts,
and the Galerius Arch that rises over the Via Egnatia. Visit
the Archaeological Museum and the ancient agora. See two of
the most beautiful basilicas in the city, St. Sophia and St.
Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished member of the Roman
army and a martyred Christian convert. Dinner and overnight
in Thessaloniki. (B,D)

Oct 12 Fri AMPHIPOLIS – PHILIPPI – KAVALADrive to Amphipolis, a city that Paul visited on his
second mission. Continue to Philippi, where Paul met and
converted Lydia, a woman from Thyatira who sold purple
garments (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia was the first Christian to
be baptized on European soil. See the theater, agora,
latrines and several early Byzantine basilicas of the city.
Also visit a cistern, which was thought to have served as a
prison for the apostle Paul. Overnight in the Kavala area. (B,D)

Oct 13 Sat TURKEY BORDER – DRIVE ISTANBULDepart Kavala. Walk a portion of the Via Egnatia, the
great Roman road traversed by Paul and Silas as they
traveled from Neapolis to Philippi, Thesslonica and onward.
Drive to the Greece-Turkey border. Transfer to your Turkish
bus and guide, and continue to Istanbul (about 5 hours drive
after the border) for dinner and overnight. Istanbul is the
only city in the world spanning on two continents. Overnight
in Istanbul. (B,D)

Oct 14 Sun ISTANBULFull day Istanbul tour; visit the Roman Hippodrome, the
Blue Mosque with its beautiful blue tiles, the Hagia Sophia,
the great basilica built by Constantine the Great and
reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century, one of the
world’s greatest architectural marvels and a designated
World Heritage site. Then visit the Istanbul Archaeological
Museum. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Evening slide show of the major Biblical sites in Turkey. (B,D)

Oct 16 Tue ASSOS – PERGAMON (Rev. 1:11; 2:12) – BERGAMAWe will enjoy a morning tour of Assos and then leave for
Pergamon where we will visit the Acropolis with the steepest
theater of the ancient world and the Temple of Trajan. We
will also visit the Red Basilica which was an Egyptian
Temple, later converted to a church and the Asclepion, the
ancient healing center. Dinner and overnight in Bergama. (B,D)

Oct 17 Wed BERGAMA – THYATIRA – SMYRNA (Rev. 1:11; 2:8) –
IZMIRDrive to Akhisar town to visit the remaining of the
Thyatira Church. Then, continue to Izmir to see the Smyrna
Agora and its latest excavations. We will also visit the
graffiti section which is closed to public. Dinner and
overnight in Izmir. (B,D)

Oct 19 Fri SARDIS (Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4) – PHILADELPHIA (Rev.
1:11; 3:7) – PAMUKKALEDrive to Sardis, capital of the ancient Lydia where
first coin of the world was invented. See the remains of
another massive Artemis Temple. Continue to Hierapolis, a
World Heritage site and site of the church mentioned in
Colossians 4. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Pamukkale. (B,D)